Hundreds of New Mexico firefighters are in California to help fight massive wildfires and more are on their way.Intense wildfires are ripping up and down hillsides in California, Oregon and Washington. They are tearing through dried-up forests faster than fire crews can chase them.Some of the firefighters battling the blazes are hotshot crews from New Mexico. Sandoval County firefighters left the state early Wednesday headed to California.The U.S. Forest Service in New Mexico also sent crews."We've pretty much cleaned house around here," said Matt Rau, director with the Sandia Ranger District.Rau said at least 20 different hotshot crews, comprised of hundreds of firefighters, are on the ground in California."The people that come from the Southwest are as good as it gets," Rau said. "These are folks that are highly sought after in the northwest in California, we are very skilled firefighters."Rau said they will stay there until the job is done."It's going to be a long haul for all of our crews out there," Rau said.Rau said local fire departments like the Albuquerque Fire Department will step in to help if a fire breaks out in the Sandias."Then we're going to bring those folks in (to) help us in those first stages of management of the fire, then begin to pull in other resources from out of area as we need," Rau said.But Rau said pulling some of those crews back may be difficult as the destructive fires continue to burn with such intensity out West.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —

Hundreds of New Mexico firefighters are in California to help fight massive wildfires and more are on their way.

Intense wildfires are ripping up and down hillsides in California, Oregon and Washington. They are tearing through dried-up forests faster than fire crews can chase them.

Some of the firefighters battling the blazes are hotshot crews from New Mexico. Sandoval County firefighters left the state early Wednesday headed to California.

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The U.S. Forest Service in New Mexico also sent crews.

"We've pretty much cleaned house around here," said Matt Rau, director with the Sandia Ranger District.

Rau said at least 20 different hotshot crews, comprised of hundreds of firefighters, are on the ground in California.

"The people that come from the Southwest are as good as it gets," Rau said. "These are folks that are highly sought after in the northwest in California, we are very skilled firefighters."

Rau said they will stay there until the job is done.

"It's going to be a long haul for all of our crews out there," Rau said.

Rau said local fire departments like the Albuquerque Fire Department will step in to help if a fire breaks out in the Sandias.

"Then we're going to bring those folks in (to) help us in those first stages of management of the fire, then begin to pull in other resources from out of area as we need," Rau said.

But Rau said pulling some of those crews back may be difficult as the destructive fires continue to burn with such intensity out West.